1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to handheld electronic devices and, more particularly, to a handheld electronic device having a system for providing feedback to a user to facilitate navigation and information entry. The invention also relates to a method of facilitating navigation and information entry on a handheld electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous types of handheld electronic devices are known. Examples of such handheld electronic devices include, for instance, personal data assistants (PDAs), handheld computers, two-way pagers, cellular telephones, and the like. Such handheld electronic devices are generally intended to be portable and thus are relatively small. Many handheld electronic devices also feature wireless communication capability although many such handheld electronic devices are stand-alone devices that are functional without communication with other devices.
Handheld electronic devices that provide cellular telephone capabilities often are used in automobiles, frequently while the user is driving the automobile. A user typically must take his eyes off the road to perform a telephone dialing operation on the keyboard of the handheld electronic device, which is undesirable, even if it happens only momentarily. Handheld electronic devices are also used when walking and doing other activities, and a user typically must look at the device to perform various input operations, such as telephone dialing or navigation, which is likewise undesirable. Furthermore, handheld electronic devices can be difficult for visually impaired individuals to use, particularly those devices that include an unconventional keyboard, such as a reduced QWERTY keyboard. Thus, there is a need to provide a handheld electronic device that facilities the performance of input operations in situations where it is undesirable or impossible for the user to look at the device.